The US state of Kentucky has come under fire for requiring religious volunteers to its Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to sign a consent form stating that they agree to a policy stating that homosexuality is not sinful.
One such volunteer, a Baptist pastor identified as David Wells, was recently dismissed by the state for his refusal to adhere to this policy.
Wells had served as a counsellor for juvenile inmates for over 10 years before he was dismissed.
When Kentucky state authorities started implementing the new policy forbidding DJJ staff and volunteers from implying or telling gay juveniles that they are abnormal, deviant, sinful or that they can or should change their sexual orientation or gender identity, Wells decided to put his foot down, according to Charisma News.
He is now being represented by Liberty Counsel, an organisation that supports religious freedom. According to Liberty Counsel, Wells was asked to sign a form "promising to refrain from telling any juvenile inmates that homosexuality was 'sinful." But Wells refused to sign the form since it did not conform to his religious beliefs.
After he refused to sign, he was dismissed by the prison Superintendent Gene Wade. "I must terminate your involvement as a religious volunteer serving the youth in this facility per DJJ Policy 112, Section IV, Paragraph H, (8)," Wade wrote in his letter to Wells.
In response, Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the Kentucky DJJ Commissioner Bob Hayter, stating that Wells' dismissal was "unconstitutional."
"Many juveniles are in DJJ custody because of sexual crimes," said Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Pastor Wells must be able to discuss what the Bible says about matters of sexuality with the juveniles he is trying to help. To remove the Bible from a pastor's hands is like removing a scalpel from a surgeon's hands. Without it, they cannot provide healing," Staver said in the letter.
